The present invention relates generally to laundry drying racks, and more particularly to a laundry drying rack having collapsible legs.
Conventional laundry drying racks are used to dry laundered items. Laundry drying racks have particular application when the laundered items are too delicate to be placed in an electric dryer or may shrink therein. Laundry drying racks may also be used for temporary storage such as during folding or ironing tasks.
In order to minimize the costs of such laundry drying racks to end consumers, it is desirable that the laundry drying racks be shipped and packaged in a disassembled state. Such disassembly allows for the components of such laundry drying rack to be compactly packaged thereby lowering shipping costs. Further avoidance of assembly by the manufacturer avoids the associated assembly costs, the saving of which may be passed along to the consumer. Conventional laundry drying racks, however, frequently comprise numerous components which makes assembly difficult and time consuming. Further, use of fasteners for the assembly may further require tools for the attachment thereof.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved laundry drying rack which is structurally stable, easy to assemble, and has components which are relatively low in cost to manufacture, in comparison to the prior art.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a laundry drying rack. The laundry drying rack has an elongate leg member having an opening formed laterally therein. The laundry drying rack is further provided with a connecting rod having a connecting rod distal end thereof. The laundry drying rack is further provided with an end connector having a resilient pronged end and a post end. The post end is sized and configured to extend within the opening of the elongate leg member for rotatably connecting the elongate leg member to the end connector. The laundry drying rack is further provided with a tubular coupling having a coupling distal end, an opposing coupling proximal end, and an internal ridge formed circumferentially therein. The coupling proximal end is sized and configured to axially receive the connecting rod distal end therein. The coupling distal end is sized and configured to axially receive the resilient pronged end of the end connector therein. The internal ridge is sized and configured to concentrically engage the resilient pronged end of the end connector for rotatable engagement of the tubular coupling thereabout.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the post end of the end connector has a post. The post is sized and configured to extend within the opening of the elongate leg member for radially connecting the elongate leg member to the end connector. The post may be sized and configured for press-fit engagement with the opening of the elongate leg member. Further, the end connector may have a radially extending flange disposed between the resilient pronged end and the post end. The flange is sized and configured to abut the elongate leg member adjacent the opening when the post end is extended therewithin. The flange is further sized and configured to abut the coupling distal end when the resilient pronged end is axially received therewithin.
The resilient pronged end of the end connector preferably has a pair of resilient prongs, the resilient prongs are sized and configured to expand radially outward to engage the tubular coupling adjacent the internal ridge when axially received within the coupling distal end. The resilient prongs comprise opposing sides of a cylindrical member having a lengthwise slot defining the resilient prongs in spaced relation thereto. The resilient prongs are sized and configured to contract radially inward within the lengthwise slot during axial insertion into the coupling distal end. The resilient prongs each terminate with a prong head thereof. The prong heads each have an engagement surface for engaging the tubular coupling adjacent the internal ridge when the pronged end is axially received within the coupling distal end. The coupling distal end of the tubular coupling has a distal end inner surface tapering towards and terminating at the internal ridge. The resilient prongs are sized and configured to contract radially inward in slidable engagement with the distal end inner surface during axial insertion into the coupling distal end.
In addition, the coupling distal end of the tubular coupling may have a distal end inner surface tapering towards and terminating at the internal ridge. The resilient pronged end of the end connector is sized and configured to contract radially inward in slidable engagement with the distal end inner surface during insertion thereof into the coupling distal end. The end connector may have a plug which is sized and configured to extend within the coupling distal end when the pronged end is axially received within the coupling distal end. The plug is sized and configured to engage the coupling distal end in press-fit engagement therewith. The coupling proximal end may be sized and configured to engage the connecting rod distal end in press-fit engagement therewith. The coupling proximal end has a proximal end inner surface tapering towards the coupling distal end for axially receiving the connecting rod distal end in press-fit engagement.
The laundry drying rack may further include a second elongate leg member having an opening formed laterally therein. The post end of the end connector is sized and configured to extend within the openings of the leg members for rotatably connecting the leg members to each other. The elongate leg members cooperatively forming a collapsible leg of the laundry drying rack. The opening of each elongate leg member may be disposed adjacent a respective distal end thereof. The opening of each elongate leg member may alternately be disposed adjacent a center segment thereof.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a laundry drying rack having an elongate leg member having an opening formed laterally therein. The laundry drying rack is further provided with a connecting rod having a connecting rod distal end thereof. The laundry drying rack is further provided with a cylindrical connector having an open end, an opposing flanged end, and a post section disposed therebetween. The open end has a recess formed therein extending axially toward the flanged end. The recess is sized and configured to axially receive the connecting rod distal end therein for engagement of the cylindrical connector to the connecting rod. The flanged end has a flange extending radially therefrom. The post section is sized and configured to extend through the opening of the elongate leg member with the flange abutting the elongate leg member adjacent the opening. The post section has an external groove circumferentially formed therein. The laundry drying rack further has an elastic retaining ring sized and configured to receive the open end of the cylindrical connector therethrough. The elastic retaining ring is further sized and configured to concentrically engage the external groove, for capturing the elongate leg member between the flange and the elastic retaining ring about the post section.
Preferably, the cylindrical connector is sized and configured to engage the connecting rod distal end in press-fit engagement therewith. The recess is tapered toward the flanged end for axially receiving the connecting rod distal end in press-fit engagement. Further, the cylindrical connector has an outer surface tapering from the external groove towards the open end for receiving the retaining ring thereover. The elastic retaining ring may be sized and configured to radially expand in slidable engagement over the outer surface of the cylindrical connector towards the external groove. The elastic retaining ring has ring inner surface tapering towards the open end of the cylindrical connector when the elastic retaining ring is engaged with the external groove.
The laundry drying rack may further include a second elongate leg member having an opening formed laterally therein. The post section is sized and configured to extend within the openings of the leg members for rotatably connecting the leg members to each other. The elongate leg members cooperatively form a collapsible leg of the laundry drying rack. The opening of each elongate leg member is disposed adjacent a respective distal end thereof. The opening of each elongate leg member may alternately be disposed adjacent a center segment thereof.
As such, based on the foregoing, the present invention is believed to mitigate the inefficiencies and limitations associated with prior art laundry drying racks. Accordingly, the present invention represents a significant advance in the art. This advancement will be better appreciated in view of the following discussion and drawings in which like numbers refer to like parts through.